Comfy As An Old T-Shirt: Fender Announces Jeff Beck Esquire Relic

OK, it may not be what we would strictly consider a Signature Guitar, but Fender’s Jeff Beck Tribute Esquire Relic is just too cool to leave out of the discussion. Beck of course (no, not that Beck you little whippersnapper,) is one of the most prolific guitar players in history, and is virtually synonymous with the term “Guitar God.”

To celebrate his 40+ years of wowing audiences with his virtuoso guitar antics Fender has released this Custom Shop “tribute” guitar, which is only available in what we’d call an incredibly limited edition – they’re making just 150 of them…

The Jeff Beck Tribute is basically a historically accurate recreation of the single-pickup Blonde ’54 Esquire that Beck has used so famously throughout his career. As you can see, it’s been prematurely aged to match the wear & tear of the original guitar – even down to the chipped and dinged pickguard.

Being a replica, the guitar also features brass bridge saddles to match the ones that Beck had put on his Esquire shortly after buying (see inset,) a ’57 one-piece maple neck (soft “V” shape,) and even a painstakingly recreated ’51 Nocaster single-coil pickup at the bridge.

All that said, while I’m a huge fan of the look and feel of a well worn-in guitar, well, I’m not too sure I’d be willing to pay a premium for it. Being a limited run, this thing is not cheap – street price is around $10,000.

The Fender Jeff Beck Tribute Esquire Relic Features–

Premium Ash Body

Single-Piece ’57 Maple Neck (bolt-on)

25-1/2-inch Scale Length

Bone Nut

Maple Fingerboard With 21 Frets

Custom Wound ’51 NoCaster Single-Coil Pickup (Bridge)

Volume & Tone Control

Custom-Wired 3-Way Pickup Switching

Three Saddle Bridge In Brass

Fender/Gotoh Vintage-Style Tuners

Nickel/Chrome Hardware

Aged Lacquer Finish

The price includes a vintage-style tweed hardcase – to keep your Esquire looking, umm, brand new – an interview with Jeff Beck (DVD,) 8×10 photo, official Custom Shop certificate of authenticity, and more…